Neither Side is Ready to Make a Deal

So this week is do or die time for the 82 game season. Odds are we will see one last save face meeting between the league and PA and the result will be somewhat similar to what weâ€™ve seen so far.

At this point neither side has been able to get past posturing and resentment. While I donâ€™t doubt that the current proposals arenâ€™t too far off of what will ultimately be the final deal, neither side is ready to make additional concessions.

For the NHLPA, there is a need to move to past the fact that this is the second recent lockout demanding serious concessions. Thatâ€™s not to say don’t voice concerns if they take issues with the current agreement, but as long as everything is being done relative to last CBA they wonâ€™t be able move forward.

From the owners perspective,, they will stalemate until they realize that hockey teams are not a turnkey operation with guaranteed profits rolling in. To some extent there will need to be some reflection that bad business decisions equal losses (should the players take the hit for the continued support of Phoenix or the NHL Guardian Project?) While over half the league losing money does support the notion that some changes to the system are required, there needs to be some acknowledgement that there likely isnâ€™t a clause they can include in the CBA that will make hockey in Florida profitable.

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Until both sides come to realization that rarely in labour negotiations do you get to walk away with something youâ€™re happy with, and rather you get the very least youâ€™re willing to accept, both sides will continue to present false hope to hockey fans.

Since it is up to the league on when they decide to offer their service to the public again, the hockey viewing public remains on the sidelines without a dog in the fight. Remember that patience is a virtue and itâ€™s really the only action available at this point.

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As for the hockey that is going on, Iâ€™d encourage everyone to follow Blue Chip Prospects on twitter. Curt has been viewing an insane number of games involving Leafs prospects and provides great game day insight.

And as for the Marlies, I am hoping that their slow start to the season will end the lovefest with the idea that every single one of the players has the potential to be on the Leafs when the NHL starts up. Greg Millen so far has set the bar low with his comment that Will Acton could be destined for the Leafs third line, but far worse is the assumption that players like Kadri, Gardiner, or Scrivens have nothing to work on at the AHL level before returning to the NHL. Itâ€™s okay to like these players and still notice their flaws.

Monday Morning Links…

Shannon: Luongo will be traded to the Leafs
Give John Shannon credit for being so adamant that this is happening. Of course Iâ€™d be more willing to believe him if he didnâ€™t note that Vancouver and Toronto have no idea who else will be involved in the deal.

What’s Luongo worth to the Leafs
The Leafs clearly need a top tier goaltender, so in that sense heâ€™s worth a lot. In the sense of what you should give up for him, it depends on the new CBA. My best offer would be Franson, Scrivens, and Bozak.

Projected Leafs Scoring
I find these projections interesting, but as always the wider the net you cast the better your chances are of being right. Iâ€™d be interested in knowing what the confidence interval is for this approach. Iâ€™ve been toying around with my own projection methodology; I hope to roll it out at some point this year.

Jon survived in the wild for several years but now lives in captivity. His diet consists of meats and grains. He is on twitter dot com. Visit him at twitter.com/yakovmironov or his oft-neglected site yakovmironov.blogspot.ca